Here I am! Yes, I am still alive and well. Just took a little break from blogging because it seemed like I always had the same thing to say. So, now having taken a break, I have some new stuff to share.

All is well here in our house. I got the kids all settled back in school. Elizabeth is a senior, yes a SENIOR, in college. I still can't believe how fast the time went by. She is Editor-in-Chief right now at the Independent Florida Alligator (the University of Florida's newspaper). So, she is busy, busy, busy. She's still involved in her sorority as well. This year she chose to live off campus in an apartment with three other gals. Her apartment is so cute and I love her new roommates. This is going to be her best year yet!

Greg is loving college. He's still at the USF. He now is also working as a personal trainer. He's doing what he loves. He's even talking about going for his Master's. Right now he's trying to figure out how to get one of his certifications as a trainer in addition to a full course load. But, I know that he will figure it out.

Emily is a senior in high school. Can you believe it??? I can't. Her school year started off to a not so great start. If you followed the national news about a kid who wanted to shoot up a school and it be "bigger than Columbine", that was her school I was so sad for her that that is how her final year of high school will be remembered. On our back to school night right before school started, we were walking around the school with lots of cops on the campus. On their first day, it was full of media and even the helicopter was circling. They had bomb sniffing dogs do a sweep of the school that morning. When I first read the article, I thought maybe the kid was all talk and just wanting attention. I almost felt sorry for him. But they released more information last week and he was serious. He will be tried as an adult and I hope they throw the book at him. I can't say enough about how the school handled the situation. The first day went off with no problem and then we got another phone call. Apparently a teacher (who wasn't working at the school anymore) was arrested for having "an inappropriate relationship" with a student. So, the media and their camera's were back. The situation happened the previous year but for some reason, they like to make an example of our school. We are finally in a routine now and hopefully we will finish the school year without any further incidents.

Mark is in the 5th grade. He pointed out to me several weeks ago that I have "three seniors". A senior in college, high school and elementary school. haha. So far he is doing great. Moving him last year to a new school and repeating the 4th grade was just what was needed. He also is on some medication now to help him "focus". I'm so proud of how hard he is trying. After the first of the year, we will be searching a middle school for him. We are definitely not sticking with the Florida Public School system for him. He is going a different route. So, I have my work cut out for me.

I'm still selling my Avon. Not making a whole lot of money but I am not losing money either. So, that's good. If you ever need any Avon, please visit my website. They have some great deals and they sell so much other stuff besides make up. www.youravon.com/kbehrman

I finally got back into my scrapbook routine. I'll be heading back up to Indiana in February for the girls weekend again. I was so excited I was asked back. That was such a great time. If anyone is in Indiana and is looking for a fun weekend away, you definitely need to check out Michelle's Memory Loft in LaPorte.

Well, that's a quick update of things going on. I'll have more to share tomorrow or the next day.

Have a wonderful Tuesday.

Holy smokes Batman, it's February. 2011 is already starting to fly by. Please slow down.

Two weeks from today, I will be in South Bend Indiana visiting my friend, Lisa. I met Lisa when I moved here to Tampa in 2003. Our boys were on the same baseball team. We hit it off immediately. We had so much in common. We were both from the midwest, loved scrapbooking, we were very active in our kids schools, little league was our "life", just to name a few. We live(d) in a newer community that is still "booming". There is also a "reputation" that goes along with our little community. Yes, there is a lot of fake boobs, botox and silicon here. But with Lisa and I, we didn't fit that mold. Everyone here is too busy living "above their means" with their fancy houses and cars, hitting the country club and tennis courts and running down the road in hardly nothing at all. But not Lisa and myself. Our houses were not "show pieces" that you couldn't enjoy living in. We enjoyed being mom's, carpooling and just being ourselves. Our kids were not perfect and we didn't expect perfection from them. Don't think our whole community is like this. It's just unlike anywhere I have ever lived before. I have made many nice friends here. So, when Lisa told me they were moving back to Indiana, I was devastated. In less than a month, she was gone. Thank goodness for Facebook. It's a great way to stay in touch. So, I am flying up to see here in two weeks for 5 days. Over the weekend, we are going to a scrapbooking getaway. I cannot tell you how excited I am. Unfortunately, it's very cold and still lots of snow there. This Florida gal is going to be way out of her element. This is a picture of the kitchen of where we are staying. It's called Michelle's Memory Loft in LaPorte, Indiana. I have not clue how I am going to get all my stuff there, but it's been really challenging and fun getting it all together.

Overall, life is good. Kids are keeping me busy. It's been weird this year only having to get two kids off an out in the morning. Seems like just yesterday, I was getting Liz off to kindergarten, Greg off to nursery and getting Emily all bundled up to run around. Time flies.

Kids are off school AGAIN tomorrow. It's "fair day". Needless to say, we won't be attending the fair. I'm looking forward to sleeping in. I told Mark that maybe we'd go see a movie or something.

Mark is starting to stress over the dreaded FCATs that will be here before you know it. I really hate these standardized tests. We have made the decision that once he finishes elementary school, we are pulling him out of the public schools. I have always been a big advocate of them, but I'm done. They aren't teaching him anything except FCAT, FCAT, FCAT. The kid is 10 years old (almost 11) and still has not learned cursive. It's no secret he struggles. Teach kids the basics and it will come. But not here, they are teaching them some math which they will never use in life. Even Steve and I can't help him. Teachers I have talked too don't like this math program either. It's so sad to see what he isn't learning and what my other kids learned in other states. So, I need to start researching private schools. I always joke with my hubs that you will never see anyone from Florida on teen jeopardy. They've never learned half the stuff. Okay, I'm done moaning and groaning.

Well, I'm off to volunteer in the media center at Mark's school. Hopefully, by this afternoon, the sun will come out in time for our three day weekend.

Happy New Year!

Hard to believe it's 2011. Where did 2010 go? It seemed to just "fly" by. Now I have the task of taking down all the Christmas decorations. I love looking at the Christmas tree so I procrastinate taking it down. Our first house was small that the tree pretty much came down the next day. I don't feel the need to rush taking it down now that we live in a house that has room for a tree. But, this weekend it will come down. Steve has finished his year end stuff at work so he will be home to help. Unfortunately, he worked all day New Year's Eve, New Year's day and Sunday too.

Everyone is back in school, with the exception of Greg. He starts back on Monday. It's kind of weird having the house all quiet again after all the "bodies" lying around the house watching TV. As much as it bothers me, I let it go. I don't know how many more Christmases I will have them all home together. This time next year, Liz "should" be a college graduate. She's not sure though that she wants to graduate early. I think she should and get a head start. It's going to break my heart though when she starts sending out all the resume's out of town. Now we are getting Emily going on all her college stuff. She finally registered for her SAT. Hard to believe that she is a junior and will be a senior.

With all the changes going on with the kids, I've kind of neglected "me". So that is my word for the year. Yes, it sounds selfish but for the past 20 years I've been "mom". Somewhere in there "Kim" got lost. Don't get me wrong, I have NO complaints. It's just that after all this time, I am ready for some "me time". Everyone else's needs have come first. I've let myself get lost. I put on weight and my health is not the best. My last doctor appointment, my cholesterol was up and so was my blood pressure (I'm on meds for those already). So, I left the doctors office with even more meds to take. So, in addition to "me", I am also going to use the word "no" more often. It won't hurt the kids to stay at home while I do something for myself. I cannot tell you the last time Steve and I had a date night. We are always having to pick Emily up from work and take her somewhere. Giving her her license, is not the answer. She knows that. Her grades slipped so until they go back up, she's a passenger. So, she knows what she has to do in order to achieve that. So, if I am out taking a walk, they can wait on me for a change. I know that sounds selfish, but I have to start taking care of me. I may even give running a try. I've said that in the past but have never done it. This is my year to try!

Another thing I have done is booked a trip to see my friend, Lisa, in South Bend, Indiana. She invited me up for a scrapbook weekend at a lodge at the end of Feruary. So, I'm off for a weekend of scrapbooking. Steve is fully capable of taking care of getting Mark and Emily off to school. He's all on board and told me to take as much time as I need. So, I'm leaving on a Wednesday and coming back on Monday. I love that he is so supportive of me. I know he is really worried about my health. He's always trying to remind me to take my fish oil and even got me a cookbook for Christmas and told me he would eat what I did.

So, what do you think of the new blog? I came across this website and fell in love with it. It so fits my personality. I'm still working on the header. I just can't figure out how to get the title right. But, I'm not going to give up. I still need to tweek some more stuff, but "baby steps".

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. May 2011 be a great year for everyone. Hopefully, I will do better at keeping up with this blog.

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